Stone warriors
by dream-whizper
Summary: AU. Yaoi KaixTyson and other pairings. The plot is revealed in the first part of chapter one. If you like fantacy and future stories, you will not be dissapointed! I guarantee it!
1. chapter 1

First, we are two girls writing this story. It's me and then it's **Endoh Chiaki**. So don't you forget about that!

Disclaimer: We do not own the characters from Beyblade in any way or form. However, this story is fictional and the plot belongs to us only, so copying from this is not allowed without our permission. We do not make any money from this andourgoal is to entertain. Enjoy!

* * *

In a very far away future, humans, demons and other beings live side by side. It happened when a gate to another dimension opened 2034 allowing other species to inhabit the planet. Despite that they live so close to each other, the different life forms now battle and fight for the right to claim earth. The humans have suffered great losses and now only live in protected cities on the planet, so called "sanctuaries", where their greatest enemies, the demons, cannot reach them.

To be able to defend themselves against the demons, the humans trust in an ancient legend that will defeat the threat once and for all and bring peace between the species –the stone warriors. According to the myth, each of six people have the ability to control a different kind of stone which will give them the strength and powers to destroy the war once and for all, and give peace to the earth.

Naturally, no one has been able to find neither those people nor the stones. Troops are organized to participate in the battle and soldiers protect the capital. The rest of the cities have protectors but not strong enough to defeat the enemy if they were to attack with the goal to kill.

The only thing the humans can do is hope for the day the six will come forward and, with the power of the stones, will put an end to it all, before it's too late.

**Stone Warriors**

:By dream-whizper and Endoh Chiaki:

"Come back here you god-dammed thief"

"Just try and make me!" the boy shouted back to the angry shopkeeper.

He had no intentions what so ever to give up his newly stolen loaf of bread. It had taken him the whole entire evening just waiting for the man to be caught off his guard, before he could grab it. There was no way he was gonna give it back. However it was going to be hard to keep it, the man was fast and didn't seem to give the chase up.

It was late evening in the East Sanctuary and the cold air brought the message of a rapidly approaching winter. The grey metal walls reflected the moonlight as if they were made of mirrors in the icy air, and the cold stone ground made it nearly unbearable to walk barefooted.

The high towers and pinnacles piled themselves over the overall quiet city inside of the high massive concrete walls, kept over by guards. Hovering vehicles were making their way through the city and the inhabitants were hurried to get home from their jobs.

"I said come back here!"

The boy rounded a corner and nearly sat on his heals –a dead end, a high wall parting the alley in two. He gritted his teeth and looked around for somewhere to take cover, hearing the footsteps and cursing growing stronger with each second.

Not knowing what else to do, he measured the distance and jumped. He was barely able to reach it and dug his claws deep into the rock then released a sigh of relief. It had been a high jump, and the shopkeeper would not be able to follow him.

He laid the loaf on top of the wall and then swung his right leg over the edge, just as the man came in to the alley.

"What! How the hell did you get up there?" he barked, both surprised and angry without words.

The boy chuckled and grinned as he took up his treasure.

"Well, see, it's like magic. One second I'm there the other I'm gone. Thanks for the dinner!" he smiled and jumped down at the other side, the dark brown cloak flying behind him.

He heard the man spit and bark curses to Hell and back and shook his head. People needed to sort out their priorities. It was only a bit of bread for crying out loud. He looked at the loaf he was carrying.

"Hello food." he grinned happily.

It had been two days since he last had eaten anything, and for a good reason too. His friend had been sick and he couldn't just leave him to search for food. Now, however, he was healthy enough to spend a few hours by himself at their shelter.

He walked along the alley that he knew was leading to his temporary home. It was lying at the end of it, just a few feet away from the west side of the utter wall, and he smiled at a quiet sound coming from his friend somewhere behind the piles of metal-waste in the corner. He slowly pulled the torn blanket to the side and found himself staring into sparkling blue eyes.

"Hi Dragoon." he greeted the small creature lying on some old rags.

The creature squeaked when he came forward and crawled up into his lap, happy that he was back. The dragon's blue scales reflected the small rays of moonlight slipping through the improvised ceiling. It wasn't very big and could be compared to an extremely large dragonfly.

The boy broke a piece of the bread and fed it to the dragon that, reluctantly, ate it.

"I know it tastes like crap, but it's still food." the boy teased before starting to eat the bread himself.

A few minutes had passed and the bread was eaten. The boy stroked his hand through his thick midnight blue hair and blinked his brown eyes tiredly. He could see the stars on the dark sky through the ceiling and he smiled gently.

"See those, Dragoon? They are watching us from up there. Everyone we know who has passed away are watching us from up there. I believe that Mom is that one." he pointed at a large star in the north.

He knew the dragon didn't understand him, but he was the only one there to listen to the boy's thoughts and that was enough. He seldom talked about his thoughts and when he did, they sounded a bit childish, but they were innocent and pure.

The cold breeze made him quiver and he folded his arms around him, with a failed attempt to warm himself. When it didn't work, he decided to move and crawled outside, leaving the small blue creature behind.

He hissed at the cold ground underneath his feet, considering he had no shoes, and rubbed his arms. The air he breathed out was crystallized and his inhaling was a bit off. Somewhere above him, he could hear laughter coming from an open window, and he smiled. It was a girl's laughter, and probably her Dad's. They laughed often and it made his life seem a little better. Being able to, unseen, participate in the joy made him feel wanted.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when something hard contacted with his head. With a small cry of dismay, he hit the hard ground. Confused, he looked up from his position only to be firmly kicked in the stomach.

"You filth. How dare you even exist within these walls!"

An older teen was standing above him. He had three comrades, two in position behind him, glaring down at the newly fallen boy. They all wore white outfits with a red belt at the waist along with turkey coloured cloaks, meaning they were in the army. Their leader had grey and red hair along with green eyes.

"What the hell are you think you're doing at our part of the city!" a girl with the same hair colour as the boy hissed.

"What do you mean YOUR part, huh? I have the same right as you to be here"

His rebellious words resulted in another kick, this time in the back. The boy cried out in pain at the heavy impact. Not getting any time to recover he was dragged from the ground and harshly pinned against the concrete wall. The person holding him was huge, with sunburned skin and dark blonde hair. He tried to get away but it was just a waste of energy.

The green-eyed teen walked over to where he was being held and leant against the grey surface beside him.

"What's your name, freak?"

When he didn't reply the blonde guy slapped him hard across the cheek and tightened his grip around the boy's neck.

"Ozuma asked you a question, filth." he growled.

With the grip tightening even more, he was afraid of being choked. Slowly he moved his lips but no sound was coming out.

"What did it say?" the girl asked a shorted guy with green hair.

"Well?" Ozuma said with a bored tone.

"Ta…kao" the boy hissed hoarsely.

"Well then, Takao. Let us get this clear. If you ever return to this spot, we will kill you, understood?" he informed simply.

"…No"

"What?"

"No, you can't do this." he growled irritated.

With a swift movement, he dug his claws into the blonde's arm, who released him with a cry of pain. He then leapt to the side to get away, but the blonde gorilla threw himself over the boy and pined him to the ground with such force, he couldn't breathe.

"You little filth!" he growled low.

"Is that the only word you know, you big ape?" Takao mocked in a troubled whisper.

That was too much for the blonde, because he got off him and grabbed him by the cloak and, with all force he possessed, threw him against the hard stone surface. Takao screamed in pain and fell motionlessly to the ground. However, the blonde lifted him by the left wrist and stared into his brown eyes. Takao breathed faster and tried to squirm away from the grip. The blonde smirked and then bent the phalanx so hard that the bone snapped underneath the pressure, and Takao shrieked in pain.

"That's enough, Dunga." Ozuma smirked from where he was standing.

Takao held his hand protectively against his chest, as the four was about to leave. His teeth were gritted together and his body trembled from anger and fear. Not thinking twice he lashed out, tearing Dunga's leg with his unhurt hand.

The huge guy screamed in pain and fury at the attack. Takao now found himself without any way out, cornered as an animal. Dunga's punch hit him hard and he fell to the ground. He was brought back to his senses when something tore into the skin of his arm. He opened his eyes and just with bare effort avoided the knife to connect with his face.

A low growl caught his attention and he turned his head to look behind the four. Dragoon had come out to protect his master and friend.

"Dragoon, get the hell out of here!" he screamed to the creature who didn't take any notice of him.

Ozuma looked in the direction to where the words had been spoken and he frowned at the small dragon showing its fangs.

"Look, it's the freak's pet." the girl smirked.

She walked over to the dragon and lifted him up without any problems despite of his angry growls and warning snaps. She glared at the small creature with dismay and gazed ed at her team leader with a questioning look.

"Is it yours?" Dunga asked with a taunting expression.

When the boy didn't answer, He lifted him up holding his broken wrist. Takao cried out in a weak voice at the action.

"Well?"

"He's my friend." Takao finally surrendered.

"Friend? You mean you're friend with a damn lizard?" Dunga broke into laughter followed by the others.

The girl grasped around the dragon's neck, causing it to release a small hiss.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!"

The boy was about to get up and help his friend but was prevented of doing so by a hard kick on his torso. With a pained gasp he collapsed back at the ground.

"Who says that isn't Mariam's intention?" Ozuma informed calmly.

Takao watched to his blurred vision how Dunga took Dragoon from Mariam. He then walked over to where Takao laid and kicked the boy hard in the face. He grasped both of Takao's wrists and pressed them against the wall above his head.

"How long have you…known…this thing?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Takao looked over at Dragoon who looked back at him.

"All my life." he replied monotonous without taking his eyes from the creature.

"And that is?" the small green haired boy asked.

"Fifteen years."

Tears were beginning to form in his eyes and he was unsure what to do. Ozuma smirked with satisfaction and turned his back to the boy.

"Do what you want, Dunga." he said and walked off, followed by the other two. "Just make sure he won't return, ever."

Dunga smirked with satisfaction and slapped him hard over the face.

"You heard that, filth? I can do whatever I want with you and it won't be reported."

Takao pressed himself against the concrete and coughed. He then glared at the blonde with both hatred and fear.

"Well, you big ape, give me your best shots." he chuckled. "You hit like a girl"

"Oh, I will enjoy swiping that smirk off your face, boy."

He then looked at the dragon in his hand, and Takao got a worried expression on his face. Then, Dunga smirked maniacally.

"This is for my arm and my leg." he growled. He took a firm grip around the thin blue neck and with a snap, broke it. A muffled hiss was the last thing ever to be heard by the small creature as it fell limply to the ground.

"NO! DRAGOON!" Takao screamed at the top of his lungs as he, despite his injuries leapt forward towards his childhood friend.

He didn't reach him though. Just a few inches away, he was hit hard in the side and he felt an indescribable pain inside of his chest. Still, he reached out his arm from where he was lying, trying to reach the fallen dragon. A large foot was placed on his hand, preventing him from getting any closer.

"You're pathetic, freak. Like every one else of your breed."

He kicked the teen over so that he laid on his back. Tears were now freely travelling from Takao's eyes down through his face.

"You bastard!" he hissed in despair. "You killed him…you…" he was cut from his sentence by a knee right down at his unprotected torso and he cried in pain.

"Well, at least you only have to feed yourself, creep." the blonde sneered evilly.

The large teen stood to his feet and started to kick the so much smaller boy all over his body. The kicks hit hard, tearing his inner veins, forming angry bruises.

"I-I'm sorry Dragoon…I…I…good bye." he sniffed through his screams.

With each impact, he drifted further away into darkness, and the last thing he saw before passing out was Dunga, picking up the limp body of the dragon and throwing it over the wall, out towards the outside world.

……

Takao awakened from the feeling of wet in his face. He could not move a muscle and his left side hurt so much he found it hard to breathe. It was still dark, but the sky was now covered in clouds, no stars left to be seen. He didn't know if the water came from the clouds or from his eyes.

"Dragoon." he whispered weakly.

He persuaded himself in sitting up, although his body craved to be lying down again. His wrist had swollen and was now dark purple, and so was his side. His body was covered in bruises and torn skin.

He realized that it actually –was- raining, cold droplets of water falling heavily on his hurting body. He turned his bruised face towards the sky and frowned with his very soul.

Quietly, he turned to the wall and lifted his hand towards the grey surface. With weak movements, he then let his index finger cut into the concrete, forming signs. With his physical health at this stage, it took longer than it normally would, and the tears was blurring his vision too.

He took his hand away from the wall and stood up, using his own knee for support.

Suddenly, shouts, raised voices and screams could bee heard from outside the alley he was in. One sentence caught his attention:

"We captured a demon! We captured a demon!"

'_A demon'_

With a final look at the signs on the concrete, Takao bowed his head as a final 'good bye' and staggered away, leaving the alley silent with only memories of what had recently happened there.

tbc


	2. chapter 2

First, we are two girls writing this story. It's me and then it's **Endoh Chiaki**. So don't you forget about that!

Disclaimer: We do not own the characters from Beyblade in any way or form. However, this story is fictional and the plot belongs to us only, so copying from this is not allowed without our permission. We do not make any money from this and our goal is to entertain. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2 

Takao painfully pushed himself through the crowd, holding his hand protectively against his chest and doing his best not to bump into people with his slashed arm. The blood mixed with the water from the heavy downpour, staining his skin in a pink colour. The mumbles and gasps echoed around him and one sentence was repeated over and over.

"We captured a demon"

With a final push, Takao came to the frontline. The ground on which the guards were walking was drenched and reflected the dwell light from the streetlights. Through the rain, the boy's eyes fell upon a large metallic cage carried by two men, one big and heavy blonde and one smaller, lilac haired one. He recognised them as the sanctuary's demon-hunters and he was not without experiences involving those two, Spencer and Ian.

But he did not pay them much attention. His eyes had fallen upon what, or more exactly who, was in the cage. It was the demon, no doubts about it. Takao had never actually seen a demon, just when he was a small child, but this was not what he had imagined them to look like.

His, because it was a 'he', hair had the same colour as pure silver and seemed to end in a darker colour similar to black in the back. His skin was almost covered by the heavy black cloak and the rest of the black outfit. However, Takao could still put it in the same category as ivory. His eyes were covered by wet silver bangs falling before his face where he was sitting, leaning against the cool metal.

'Does every demon look as...special...as he?'

Takao stood up on his toes to see as someone taller than himself got in the way. With a small yelp he fell forward as someone bumped strait into his left side, causing him to loose his balance. With a stumbling movement, he crashed down at the street, at the feet of Spencer.

"What the?" Spencer growled in surprise.

Takao sat himself up and shook his head to get rid of the water he had gained when he crashed into a small pool. He looked at the huge man in fear. It was no doubt about it, he'd been recognised. The blonde smirked.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

He dropped the front of the cage, causing the demon inside to crash in to the now lower part of the cage as Spencer grasped around the boy's neck. Takao hissed but could not do much about it considering his current physical state.

"I thought we killed you the last time we met."

"You know there demons, Spencer. They're slippery."

"I know Ian"

"We'll let him tag along"

"I agree"

"Please, let…go" he whispered, tears blurring his vision somewhat.

"Oh, I don't think so, filth. As one of the keepers of peace in the East sanctuary, I decide that your faith will be no different from his" he growled and pointed at the demon.

When a small movement caught his attention, Takao turned his gaze towards the two-shade-haired demon. He was met by the colour of blood. The demon's eyes were as crimson as red wine. Rills of water travelled down the pale face, causing his hair to stuck to his cheeks, framing the burning orbs.

"Oh, you found a friend?" Spencer's mocking words brought him back to reality. "Don't worry, you'll spend a lot of time together, trust me."

Ian put down the cage and took out a small white staff from the inside of his coat. As he put it against the bars, the demon was drawn towards it. It could only mean that it was a magnetic-capture staff. The metallic collar the demon wore was pressed against the bars, and the staff. With this stuck to his neck as well as to the bars, there was no way the demon would be able to get away.

Spencer opened the door and, with a sadistic smirk, threw Takao inside. The small boy hit the other creature inside hard in the stomach but could not move as he landed in the lap of the demon. The door closed with a shriek and the two men once again picked up the cage and started walking, but not before Ian had pressed the reversed-magnetism button, releasing the creature.

Takao's whole body trembled. He still laid in the demon's lap, but he did not dare to move. Scared beyond words, he curled into a small ball, expecting to be killed any moment.

"You're not a demon"

The voice was smooth and scary, startling the boy even more. His breath quickened and he shut his eyes closed when the demon's hand connected with his arm.

"And you are not human" he slowly opened his eyes and stared up into the dark eyes looking down at him.

"No" he answered, not knowing what else to do.

"What's your name?" the voice was not asking, but commanding the answer, and Takao swallowed.

"Takao" he informed hoarse.

"Well, I can tell you, demon or human, if you don't move away from me, I will kill you this very instant."

That was enough to give back his mobility, and he pushed himself away from the demon. He eyed the guy with both great fear and prying. Not thinking twice, he spoke.

"What's yours?"

The demon blinked several times before collecting himself again.

"What's my what?"

"Your name?"

"Not because I see why that's any of your business, but it's Kai"

"Nice to meet you, Kai!" he held out his hand, but the only thing he was met by was a murderous glare, causing him to quickly draw back. Takao hissed at his hasty action and grasped gently around his injured hand.

"What happened?" this time, Kai sounded a bit softer, but still extremely threatening.

"Nothing, just hurt myself earlier"

Kai let his gaze travel over the small body, and a cool shiver travelled down Takao's spine. The crimson eyed teen chuckled and leant backwards.

"You're not welcome here either, right?"

"That's not true, I've lived here my whole life" the sudden outburst made Kai gaze at him.

"So, your mother was a human" Takao widened his eyes and cut his sentence. "And your father…was a demon"

"…Yeah" the boy whispered, turning his eyes to the floor.

"A child of taboo. A half-breed more hated than anything or anyone else existing on this cursed planet. You have my sympathy, Takao."

"Shut up, you bastard. I don't need your pity. I can survive on my own, I don't need anyone liking me"

"Really? Then tell me, Takao. Why is it that you're still hiding like a cockroach in this city? If you were as independent as you claim, you would have left a long time ago."

"None of your business, Kai"

"Is it that you put faith in humans? Do you believe that they eventually will change their minds and take you in with open arms?"

"Nobody asked you to do a full analyse of my life"

"Or is it that you think you know the humans better than Demons, and therefor chooses to be abused and unwanted wherever you go? Are you afraid of Demons?"

"Shut up, jerk! Why the heck do you care anyway!"

"Are you afraid of me?"

"No"

"You should be"

Kai took Takao's arm in a firm grasp, pulling the boy closer. Takao gasped at the action and desperately tried to get away, with no success. The demon then eyed the slash on the upper part of his arm with a frowning expression, totally confusing the small half-demon.

"Hey!" Ian hit the bars to get their attention. "Cut it out, idiots and get the hell out!"

They had stopped in front of the palace's dungeons. Every criminal captured in the area was put there, for life time. It was a huge cave, fronted by thick, white metal-bars. Inside there was a deep black tunnel. The prisoners were not separated from each other and that caused fights often leading to death.

The cage had been connected to the dungeon door, and was now opened so the two of them could get out into the tunnel. Kai slowly got out to stand safely behind the bars, and Takao hesitantly followed him. The door closed behind them and Spencer chuckled at them.

"Captured like two fishes in the net, this is pathetic. One gives up his freedom to save someone else and the other practically stumble right across my feet. What a lucky night"

Ian nodded and turned to Takao. If not he kills you, someone inside these walls will. After all, no body likes those of your kind." with that said, the two hunters left.

Takao listened to the droplets of water connecting with the ground and frowned at what Ian just had told him. He gave Kai a wary glance and quickly pressed himself against the cold stone wall when it was returned.

"I thought you said you were not afraid of me" Kai smirked triumphantly.

"I-I'm not" Takao mumbled and turned away.

The cold breeze was piercing through his skin, and he quivered. Inside of the cave, it was dry, but not warm. And the fact that he was both wet and hurt did not make the situation any better. Takao folded his arms around his body to protect it from the icy wind, but he could not stop the unwanted quivers.

Suddenly, something was dropped down at his shoulders with a sigh. When recognising it as Kai's cloak he smiled slightly.

"Thanks"

"Don't mention it"

Takao turned to him. His body was muscular but slim and he apparently had a very high body temperature, not getting cold in that thin outfit. Then, something caught his attention.

"You're a bird-demon?" on Kai's back, two fire-coloured wings were now visible. Through this information, Takao observed another trade-mark that of birds, Kai's hands were normal, but the nails looked like a bird's talons.

"Yeah, so?"

"Nothing. Just asked." he tugged at the black cloak. "Won't you be cold"

"No"

That was as much for an answer he would get, and he knew it. Sighing, Takao looked outside the bars.

"What can we do?"

"When did the two of us turn into a 'we'?"

"But I thought…"

"Look, Takao. I'm not befriending you in any way what so ever. You just happen to remind me of someone I know, that's all."

"Oh" he pulled up the collar of the cloak. "I understand"

Kai started to walk further down the tunnel, and Takao grasped around his wrist. The bird-demon turned and glared at the smaller boy.

"What?"

"Where are you going?"

"What does it look like? I'm going on a god damn walk in the summer-sun."

"But, are you going down there? You might get killed"

"So what? As soon as the sun comes up, people are going to gather by this entrance to catch a glimpse of whatever's in here, and I won't stand there as a monkey in a cage!"

"Neither will I, but still…" he looked into the darkness.

"What?"

Takao shook his head.

"Nothing, let's go then. Let's see how far we can get"

"I still don't understand when I got to be a part of a 'we'"

"Alright sunshine, what's your problem?"

"My problem is that you're stuck to me like a fucking plaster"

"I'm not!"

"Well, what then?"

Takao fell silent as they walked side by side through the labyrinth of corridors. The different paths were lighten up by torches, making it easier to see what was before them. It was silent, the only thing to be heard was the steps of themselves.

"How old are you?"

"Huh?" the sudden question took Takao aback and he didn't know what to answer.

"I asked how old you were"

"Fifteen, you"

"Eighteen"

"Wow, you look so much older than that" Kai smirked at the remark.

"And you look so much younger"

"Well, I…hey!" me hissed in an accusing wine.

They reached a larger area, holding a few rags on the floor and food lying on a table at the far end. Takao smiled and rushed forward towards it. It had all sorts of things; grapes, chicken, bread, pork, vegetables, potatoes, apples among others. It was more food than Takao had ever seen. As he dug in to a chicken leg, Kai quirked an eyebrow.

"What?" Takao said with food in his mouth.

"Have you never seen food before or what's the deal?"

"No, well, yeah, but this is so much of it. I had no idea there was this much food!"

"You're kidding me, right?"

Takao shook his head and grabbed an apple. Kai sighed and leant against the wall, arms folded and eyes shut. Takao jerked his shoulders and continued his meal. He suddenly froze, dropping everything he held in his hands. The sound came closer and he was able to tell they were the voices of two men.

"Stir your stumps, idiot!"

"I'm sorry, Lee, but it's your fault for getting me into that fight! It hurts walking!"

"My fault? Well, Johnny, what can I say to that, except that you're a fucking wimp!"

"Okay, that's it! I'm gonna…" the red-haired paused and stared at the boy.

Takao quivered at the confused glare he received. One of them had red hair and lavender coloured eyes, fangs showing. The other too had his fangs showing–vampires.

"What the hell?" Lee growled irritated. "What do you think you're doing? Do you think we give away our food without payment?" the vampire lunged forward and pinned him to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was yours"

"Like I care. We do not feed shrimps if we don't get anything in return!"

Takao found himself stare into dark golden orbs, totally paralyse his movements.

"I'll pay you back! I promise!"

"I know you will, and I know that because I'm gonna make you this very moment!"

The guy roughly let his hand travel down under the tunic and with his claws, dug deep into the flesh and the boy gasped. He could not get away from the vampire, and he had no chances of defending himself. Without thinking, he screamed.

"KAI!"

"…What?"

Both Lee and Johnny turned towards where the scream had been pointed, confused. Johnny trembled slightly when he realised what it was that was standing in front of him, but Lee just gave a loud 'humph'.

"Does he belong to you?" the vampire asked the bird-demon in a surprisingly polite way.

"…No"

"Then can we claim our payment the way we want?"

"You can"

"YOU BASTARD!" Takao shrieked at the state.

"If we can stay here for the night, and we can eat what we want, that is!"

"Of course, feel free to stay as long as you wish" Lee smirked

"KAI?" Takao was getting desperate, and he did not know what to do.

"You have to learn to correct your own mistakes, Takao. First lesson you should have learned by now."

"Takao" Lee tasted the name. "That sounds like a little kid. How old are you? Would it be a horrible crime if you got killed?"

"He's fifteen" Kai informed from his position on a pillow, munching on a pear.

"Fifteen, eh? Well, that's close enough" he bent over and bet Takao's arm hard, causing blood to flew freely.

Takao groaned and tried to get away, but it did not work. Johnny sat down by his side, glancing over his body with hunger.

"You know what we're accused of?" he whispered into the boy's ear. "murder and sometimes in Johnny's case, rape"

"No shit" Kai's sarcastic comment made them both chuckle.

"Fine, do it. It's not the first time someone wants me to pay in a disgusting way" Takao whispered, close to tears by the treatment.

"Good boy" Lee dragged him to a sitting position, and pulled of his grey tunic after removing the two cloaks. he then lifted the boy up in his lap, making him straddle his waist. Johnny dug his teeth deep into the skin of Takao's shoulder.

"You sure you don't want to join?" Lee sneered at Kai's direction. "You are a demon, after all"

Kai just glared at him.

"I prefer to be alone, and I also prefer women"

"Suit yourself" Johnny laughed and forced his tongue inside the boy's mouth, tarring into the lips with his fangs, at the same time as Lee bet his already hurting hand.

Takao whimpered as they pressed him down against the hard rock. Lee smirked at the injuries still pretty fresh over his skin.

"Seems like we're not the only ones to take advantage of your cute ass, little human"

"Half-breed"

"What?" Lee murmured as he and Johnny shared the space on Takao's body.

"He's a half-breed"

"Really? That means that this is not a crime, and that explains the alien taste. How boring, you have to make that up to us, Takao" the vampire growled and flipped the boy around so that he had his back upwards.

The boy cried in pain as Lee dug his teeth into his shoulder, but the vampire did not care about it. Johnny lifted his head by the hair and forced him into another blood-filled kiss, and he had to gasp for air.

He cried, as never before. It hurt, more than the earlier forms of abuse he'd been through.. His resistance was weakening, and there as nothing he could do, no one was going to help him. No one. He was alone.

A heavy weight suddenly fell upon his back and he choked at his loss of air. Blood was dripping down at the floor underneath his face, but it was too much to me his own.

"…Enough" the words caused him to turn his head upwards. "That's enough."

"But…you said we could have him" Johnny yelled as his comrade fell to the side, head no longer attached to his body.

"So I did"

"Then why?"

"Because you did not ask for HIS permission"

Takao folded his arms around his blood-stained body and gazed at the demon in disbelief. Kai took one step forward and cut deep into the throat of Johnny with the dagger he had exposed, and the limp body fell to the floor.

It was silent, the only thing to be heard was the breathing of the two lonely figures standing in the cave. Kai slowly put the dagger away.

"Put your clothes back on"

Takao did as he was told, but hesitated when he came to the black cloak. He walked forward towards Kai and held it for him to take.

"I believe this is yours"

"Yes" he accepted it back and hung it over his red wings.

"Why did it take so long?" the small boy smiled weakly.

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"You saved me"

"I was just wasting some time, that's all"

"Maybe you do have a heart somewhere in that frozen body of yours"

Though, Kai did not seem to be listening. He had pulled out a small bag and was in progress of untying it. Takao leant forward.

"What're you doing?"

"It is time"

"Time for what?"

Kai turned the bag, and grey ash slowly fell to the ground. It gathered in a pile, and Takao quirked and eyebrow.

"What…"

"Hush, be silent"

Takao clamp shut his mouth and stared at the pile. At first, nothing seemed to make it any different from ordinary ash, however, it soon started to glow like an ember. The half-demon widened his eyes as the ashes started to move, making quiet chirping sounds. From the gray substance raised, a red and yellow bird.

"Wow. It's gorgeous! But what is it?"

"A phoenix. She died a few hours ago, just before I was captured."

"She…died? Then how come she's here?"

"If a phoenix dies a natural death of age, it burns up, just to be reborn from the ashes"

"She's beautiful" they both turned their attention towards the opposite wall when a noise could be heard. Light streamed from a newly opened side door, causing them both to blink and raise their arms to protect their eyes.

"Takao!"

Takao's heart skipped a beat at the voice. He recognised it so well, and he had never felt so relieved.

"Rei!"

The newly arrived boy ran forward and captured Takao's small body in a tight hug. His feline ears laid flat against his black hair, and his tail waved back and forward. He too had his fangs showin and his pupils widened in the dwell light –he was a neko-jin.

"You idiot. How the hell did you end up down here? Lucky for you I was on duty and just happened to watch the cameras! What the hell happened?...You look like shit!"

"It's a long story. Can we take it later?" Rei nodded at the request.

"Of course, but now we have to get you out of here…and clean you up a little"

"What about Kai?"

Rei turned to stare at the demon, who was watching quietly from where he stood, holding his female phoenix in his hands.

"Thank you for watching over Takao, but I'm afraid I can not take you away from here" Everyone knew that the feline boy had to swallow all of his disgust just to form the words, but no one paid it any attention.

"I'm not dumb, I understand that perfectly" Rei nodded and turned back to Takao.

"Come on now."

Just as they were about to leave the dungeons behind, Takao turned around.

"Kai?"

"What?"

"I'll return for you"

"Don't bother"

"I will, and when I do…"

"Then what?"

"Will you and…"

"Dranzer" Kai supplied.

"Do you and Dranzer want to come and get away from this town with me?"

Kai looked down at Dranzer and made a chirping noise. The phoenix returned the chirp with another melody and Kai looked back up at the boy who was glowing with expectation.

"…Fine, we will"

Tbc


	3. Chapter 3

First, we are two girls writing this story. It's me and then it's **Endoh Chiaki**. So don't you forget about that!

Disclaimer: We do not own the characters from Beyblade in any way or form. However, this story is fictional and the plot belongs to us only, so copying from this is not allowed without our permission. We do not make any money from this andourgoal is to entertain. Enjoy!

Ehm...Sorry for taking so long for the update, didn't intend to, but I have so much to do, and I've really tried to finish it earlier...without success. Hope I'm forgiven!

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Chapter 3

The half-demon gazed around the room. It was huge with white walls and several kinds of machines. A huge energy-sphere of some sort was hovering over his head and others, just like it, were placed around the area. He hissed at the stinging pain on his arm and clenched his teeth together.

"I'm sorry" the neko-jin said, then returned to cleaning and bandaging the wounds.

"It's alright"

Takao looked down at the black-haired feline and smiled. Directly after leaving the dungeons behind, his friend had taken him there, to the medical care department.

"So, Takao, what were you doing down there with that thing?"

"Thing? You mean Kai?"

The neko nodded and put the bandages away.

"They caught me after they caught him, and then brought us to the dungeons."

Rei looked up at him with his golden eyes, and kept the look for a few seconds, as if reading the smaller boy's body-language. He then nodded and sat down beside him.

"You won't do that, will you?"

"Huh?"

"What you said to that creep down there. You won't free him, right?"

"Yes I will. He saved me from those vampires, did he not?"

"Takao, demons never do anything for someone else unless it benefits themselves. I don't trust them one bit!"

"But you trust me"

The neko chuckled at the observation. Indeed, he trusted the half-breed with his life if it ever proved to be necessary.

"Of course I do, but you're not a demon now, are you?"

"I'm part…hey, you already know that!"

The feline chuckled again, painfully resisting the urge of rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I do. But it's different with you. You're not brought up with demons, meaning you haven't copied their lifestyle." he rubbed his temples. "They are evil beasts, be careful around them!"

Takao nodded. Rei was probably right. He knew what he was talking about. After all, he had his whole village destroyed because of demons a couple of years ago.

"TAKI! REI-CHAN!"

The sudden shout caused them both to cover their ears, and Rei growled low in his throat, showing his fangs in annoyance.

"Maxine-san, you dip shit! Can you stop screaming all the time! And how many times do I have to say that his name is not Taki! It is Takao!" the feline grumbled and sighed.

"Whatever" the spoken teen smiled happily.

The boy whom Rei had referred to as Maxine had spiky blond hair and blue eyes. But the Germanic appearance was not why he stood out as much as he did. Maxine rose his left hand and ran it through his hair, causing it to cling when the metal on his hand connected with that on his left side of the scull and it clattered when he walked towards them, making the over all appearance pretty peculiar indeed.

Max was wearing a one-sleeved white turtleneck along with white pants, ending just above his knees. he had a metal belt around his waist from where many tools and cords hung. On his left shoulder, a turkey plate of some sort had been attached. His right leg was also covered with a high turkey/silver boot, ending where the pants started. However, the metal covering his left cheekbone and part of his cheek and neck could not be covered, and the fact that he wasn't all human anymore was well known.

"Well, what…Oh my god!" as the boy got closer, he noticed how Takao was wrapped into bandages. "What happened to you?"

"He was captured by Spencer and Ian, then thrown into the dungeons."

Max frowned at the information, but then shook his head.

"That's not it. What happened to you before that, Taki?"

"I was attacked." the half-demon murmured, wanting to avoid the subject.

"What? You did not tell me that. By whom?" Rei said, not taking his eyes from the midnight-haired fifteen-year-old.

"I think their leader's name was Ozuma"

Max and Rei exchanged looks before Rei sighed and stood up.

"That explains it. It's Dunga who beat you up, right?"

Takao nodded, his eyes filling with tears at the memories of the night. The feline smiled weakly and pulled him into an embrace, which Takao returned, though jerking at the pain that shot through his chest. Max sighed and looked down at the floor with sad eyes. Then he suddenly jerked, causing the other two to look at him.

"Maxine-san? What's wrong?" Rei asked in an extremely worried tone. Max rose his hand and turned a small wheel located between the eye and the ear at his metallic side, and an screen went to cover his eyes, along with an virtual keyboard that appeared in front of him.

"Whoa! I've got to get me one of these!" Takao beamed, apparently impressed.

"Mom called" Max murmured, now not taking any notice of the boy's words. "Something is happening at the walls. She want me to get the defence system up and running." he typed something on the keyboard and went to a larger screen. "All the protectors has been summoned to the eastern courtyard, including you Rei, so you better get going. All civilians are to take cover, immediately."

"What's happening?" Takao asked when Rei jumped to his feet.

"Where under attack" he summed up and then ran off, tail swaying behind him, ears flat against his head.

At the next moment, something crashed into the house, making a pair of the energy spheres to fall down at the ground. Takao covered his head as he jumped to the side, nearly crying out because of the pained condition his body was in.

"Max! We gotta get out of here!" he shouted to the blonde.

"I can't do that." the cyborg (yes, indeed a cyborg) replied and ran forward to a large computer. He quickly attached a bunch of cables and clips to his metallic part of the face, and then connected them with the machine.

"What are you talking about? You just had to start that damn system and then you can get out of here!"

Max sat down in the chair and put on a black glove over his left hand, turning small wheels and pushing several buttons, pulling a strange helmet over his head.

"That's why I have to stay!"

"But the defence-system…"

"I **am** the defence-system" he murmured and closed his eyes.

Takao stared at him, trying to keep his jaw from dropping all the way down to the floor. He had known Max to be an intelligent human-being, but that he was part of the sanctuary's safety-system, he had never guessed.

"Uhm…okay…" he murmured, now unsure what to do. Max gazed at him through the corner of his eyes.

"Go, Taki. Run and hide like everyone else!" People were starting to gather in the room, starting the computer systems. A tall blonde woman and one shorter brunette came to where Max was sitting.

"Max, start system 1x-30, and make sure the city's barriers will hold." she commanded quickly.

"You got it mom" he smiled and typed in a code on the screen.

The half-demon backed away slightly and bumped into the brunette girl. Turning towards her, he was met with both annoyance and confusion.

"All the civilians are to take cover! And that includes you!"

"It's alright sis´" Max laughed from where he was sitting. "I know him, right Taki?"

"I don't care, all civilians must take cover, and that includes **Taki** as well!" she repeated the message.

"Actually, my name is Takao…not Taki…" seeing the response he got from the girl wasn't positive, he smiled nervous "…on the other hand, I'll obey the order, see ya Maxine!" with that, he turned and ran off, the exact moment the lights went out.

'Yippee' he rolled his eyes when he rounded a corner. 'where the heck is the exit?'

The young boy had only been in the palace before, around when he met Rei, but he couldn't find his way through the corridors despite of that. Without the lights, it was like searching a labyrinth. Finally, he stopped, nearly giving up and in need for air. His chest hurt pretty badly.

Nothing but noise from outside the walls could be heard, and Takao listened to it for several seconds before starting to actually use his (excuse for a) brain.

Finding the exit was a goal he would never achieve, but what about the dungeons? He had come from there recently, hadn't he? If he found those, he might find a way out, and then he could keep his promise as well.

He turned direction and ran back. Coming to a halt where the corridors parted into two, he chose the right, and continued his path. The corridor seemed to go on forever, before finally, he felt the space between himself and the walls grow, meaning he had reached the severance room, again meaning that the door he was looking for was somewhere to his left.

He placed his hands on the wall-surface and felt it. It didn't exactly feel like rock, but he knew the door felt different than the rest. Slowly, he walked along the wall, touching the flat surface.

The material shifted to something hard and cold –the door. Releasing a sigh of relieve, he turned the handle, only to find it being locked. This time, it was a sigh of defeat that escaped his mouth and he ran his hand over the lock. It was a simple construction (depending on from who's POV you're looking) and it would not take long to unlock it, and he smiled.

Fumbling in the darkness, he used his claws as tools and ran them in different directions over the gaps in the surface. Merely a few seconds passed before the door clicked and gave a squeaking sound as it opened. Takao smirked triumphantly –being the street-rat he was, locks had never been a problem of his.

The light inside of the prison was made from torches, which luckily hadn't gone out. The half-demon peeked inside, warily aware of the fact that it was the location in which they had run into those vampires.

There was no movement to be seen, and Takao relaxed a little. The ground shook a little when something crashed into the facility he just emerged out of, and he had a hard time standing on his feet. He wobbled inside and the door slammed shut behind him.

"Just great!" he growled and kicked the surface with as much force he could bring, realising that hadn't been the best idea as a sharp pain went through his foot.

Cursing, he turned and ran down the tunnel. His body felt stiff and heavy, but it didn't really bother him. What bothered him though was that no matter how far he went down the dungeon, he couldn't find anything alive. Stumbling along the hard rock surface, he was abruptly cut to an halt when a huge piece of the ceiling fell down, that, if not for his inhuman reflexes, would have crushed him.

As he managed to land on his feet a few steps away, he gasped for air. He coughed and put his hand at his troubling chest. It hurt to move. He didn't really understand why and frowned with frustration. Then, a loud sound from above caught his attention. seeing as an huge boulder was on it's way down, he tried to jump to the side, but failed miserably.

Landing on his side because of his pained breathing, he couldn't do more than cover himself. He curled up and put his hands over his face and preparing himself for the impact.

The impact never came. He felt like if hovering, without moving –not the most promising feeling. Opening his eyes, he found himself tucked to someone's chest. He rose his gaze and looked into the face of Kai.

The crash when the boulder hit the floor reached him and he jerked frightened, but stayed in the grip, feeling somewhat like a complete idiot.

Landing by the wall, Kai exhaled almost unnoticeable and put the half-demon down. They stared at each other without speaking. Whilst Takao now had all his wounds bandaged, Kai was covered in blood and Takao widened his eyes, forgetting about the humiliating experience he'd just suffered.

"What happened to you?"

"None of your business." was the sour response he received and he glared at the taller boy who stroke the red substance from his face.

"Okay then, fine, be that way you big jerk! While you've been running around here and apparently living the wild life, I've been…"

"Shut up, and follow me"

Takao growled low in his throat but did as he was told, doing his best to keep up with the demon. He didn't want Kai to know, but he couldn't quite keep the same speed as him. Suddenly putting a foot in a crack on the floor, he fell to the side and crashed into the wall. Groaning, he rose to his knees.

"Ow…ow…ow…ow!" he whined as two feet got visible in front of him.

"Honestly, what the hell are you doing? Were you born under a rock or something?" The blue-haired demon snorted angered.

"NO! I wasn't thank you very much!" the floored boy growled, sitting up and leaning against the wall. Kai eyed him perplexed from where he stood. "What?" Takao finally snapped.

"Are you just going to sit there?"

"So what if I am! It's none of **your** business" the half-demon sneered, getting back with the same response that Kai had given him.

"Oh aren't we a smart-ass?" Kai smirked and put out his arm for Dranzer to land.

"Yes we are."

Kai glared at the arrogant half-breed while stroking the bird's feathers. he sighed and growled loudly in frustration.

"God, you're just the same as he is, stubborn as a fucking donkey! And that's not a compliment, believe me!"

Takao blinked in surprise, but didn't move.

"Like whom?" he asked.

"None of yo…Forget it!" the bluenette sighed with fatigue and shook his head. "Rise to your feet, moron, if you don't want to be trapped here for all future!"

Takao slowly stood, but taking a step forward, he fell down on one knee. Cursing, he tried once again with the same result. Kai rose an eyebrow at the failure.

"Don't tell me I have to carry you…!" he muttered, annoyed.

"YOU DON'T!" he snapped and tried again. despite of his determination, he stumbled forward, right into the arms of the demon. He stiffened and Kai rolled his eyes.

"If you wanted me to carry you that bad, you could have just said so" Takao's eyes shot daggers at him, but he wasn't received the time to reply as the elder teen picked him up, bride style, and started running towards the exit.

Takao blushed slightly and but kept his mouth shut. After all, he couldn't really walk by himself so that the demon helped him was a good thing…was it not?

The cave once again shook violently and rocks fell down to the ground around them. Takao clenched his hands shut at the other's shirt and yelped when a large boulder emerged from the ceiling and landed a mare inches from where Kai just had lifted his foot.

"Fucking crap!" the bird-demon growled and quickened his steps.

Coming to an halt behind the white bars, Kai put the boy down. Takao walked forward and grabbed the bars and looked outside. The air was filled with thick smoke and shrieks along with the deafening explosions and battle shouts.

"How are we going to get out?" Takao asked and turned to Kai.

Kai chirped to the red female-bird and she flew outside.

"…I sent her to find keys" the bluenette answered the unspoken question from Takao.

"Wow, she must be eerily attached to you"

"…Eerily?"

"How did you meet her?"

"I don't know"

"Sure you do, tell me!"

"I can't remember"

Kai held a distant expression, as if thinking of something else and Takao frowned.

"Can't remember my ass" the half-demon mumbled, rolling his eyes and with that receiving a glare from the taller boy.

A loud shriek revealed the phoenix's return. In her claws, she was carrying a shiny silver-key. Kai smirked and allowed the red bird to land on his arm, after dropping the key into his hand. Takao jerked at the curses coming closed from outside the bars somewhere to their left, and he turned to the demon who was in progress of unlocking the door.

"Would you mind hurry that, you snail!"

Kai looked over at him very surprised and chuckled when he turned back towards the lock. With a 'click', it went open.

"Okay, come on!"

Takao followed the order and swept his arms around the taller boy's neck as he was picked up. Feeling a little foolish, he glared down at the ground and therefor didn't notice the reason to why Kai suddenly dropped him down at the ground. He yelped when he connected with the hard surface and groaned at the aching in his chest.

"So, you managed to escape, huh?"

The grumbling voice belonged to Spencer, who presently held the demon above the ground in his collar. The light eyes sparkled with anger and amusement, and he half dropped, half threw Kai down at the ground.

"Hey! Pick someone your own size, jerk!" Takao growled and ran forward. But without his full strength available, he was no match for the heavy man who kicked him away instantly. Crying out in pain, he put his arm over his chest to protect it from further damage.

"For that, you're going to pay!"

The half-breed rose his head and looked at the bird-demon who now stood on his feet again, offensives and defensives on full alert. The huge blonde smirked at the threat/promise.

"And why's that, freak? Don't tell me you actually **care** for that bloody monster."

At that insult of the half-demon, Kai rose of the ground, using his wide wings. The red feathers reflected the dim sunlight, and Spencer covered his eyes from the dust that emerged from the ground. In a movement too quick for him to detect, Spencer was pinned to the ground from above, and he growled in surprise and fury.

"**You** are the monster!" Kai said through clenched teeth. "He's just a kid, you fucking bastard"

Takao watched them with both fear and confusion. Where did that protective attitude come from? Why was Kai protecting him so harshly?

Spencer glared at the demon.

"A kid, huh? A kid that steals, pick fights, escape and make the life miserable for everyone in this sanctuary? He's a filthy thief!"

Another explosion echoed around the walls of the city, and screams cried in the early morning.

"And what choice have you left him, if I may ask?"

"Don't you dare blame his crimes on us, you devil! We took good care of his mother and when she died, he went berserk!"

"Oh really. And how did his mother die then?"

Takao shifted his position, feeling uncomfortable and the muffled sound caught the demon's attention. The midnight-haired teen scratched his head at the questioning gaze he received.

"Can we go now?" he asked hopefully.

Kai studied his small frame on the ground for a few seconds before releasing the blonde. Wings swaying behind him, he walked over to where Takao sat and gently picked him up, careful not to hurt him further.

"Aw, ain't you two cute" Spencer taunted as he got to his feet, receiving a death-glare from the fiery demon.

"If you value your life, I'd suggest you take of before I loose my patience"

Spencer did not argue. Casting the small boy a hateful smirk, he turned and left. The bluenette mumbled several curses as he walked in the other direction, and Takao smirked.

"What?" Kai snapped.

"You sure are a funny character" was the answer he received.

Fearing that they might be found, they stayed in the shadows of the burning buildings. Everywhere, the ground was stained with blood and dead bodies. The noise from the living people and the explosions was deafening, and Takao, with his fine hearing, had to cover his ears causing Kai to roll his eyes. Several of the city's protectors ran by and Takao widened his eyes at the ones that followed them -They were demons.

Kai shook his head and backed further into the shadows of the alley, dragging Takao with him.

"What's going on? Why are they attacking us?"

"Because, they want to put this sanctuary into ruins"

Both looked up at the side wall where the reply had come from. The black hair hung loose in wild tresses that swayed in the breeze, and his eyes were now mare slits, tail hanging down behind him.

"Rei." Takao whispered.

The feline jumped down on the ground and placed himself in front of Kai, a hateful and hostile expression playing over his face. His ears laid flat against his head and his tail wriggled back and forth.

"Hello kitty cat" Kai smirked amused, and Rei hissed at him.

"Hey, hold on a second!" Takao waved his arms I n the air. "This is not the time to fight! We gotta get out of here!"

Rei sighed and calmed himself, although reluctantly. He looked outside of the small passage to the alley, and turned back.

"You" he pointed at Kai. "Do you know somewhere safe to run?"

Kai nodded at the question.

"Yes"

"Will you take us there?" the amber-eyed neko-jin asked commandingly.

"Sure, but I do nothing for free"

Rei narrowed his eyes.

"So, what do you want?"

"Nothing yet, but you **will** owe me!"

The neko growled and ran his hand over his face. It was clearly visible that he hated the situation and that if it weren't for Takao, he would never agree to it.

"Fine" he roared aggravated. "But I will hold you to your words!"

"Do what you want, but right now, there's no time. Anything you sissies want to brig with you? Because when they're finished here, there won't be a building standing."

Rei took the question under consideration and looked up at the castle.

"Yes. Actually, there is." He gracefully jumped up at the wall and took off, leaving the two behind.

Kai sighed annoyed and sat down at the ground, with dranzer that landed on his shoulder. Takao eyed him thoughtfully. The blood that covered his body had started to dry up.

"Does it hurt?" He asked and Kai looked up at him.

"No" he stated simply. "It's not my blood."

Takao nodded and sat down at the wall, hissing at the pain shooting through his chest, earning a glance from Kai.

"What did you do?" he asked the half-demon.

"I don't know."

Kai smirked and leant backwards.

"Fair enough."

They sat in silence, listening to all the commotion around them. It was strange, despite that Takao had lived in the eastern sanctuary for his whole life, and knew most people pretty well, he didn't pity them, nor felt sorry for them, and it troubled him.

"Kai?"

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

The demon chuckled and leant his head against his hand.

"You don't say"

"Hey, I'm serious!"

He didn't receive and answer, and he grumbled a bit offended with the knowledge that the demon didn't care one bit.

Then, someone landed before them, and Takao jumped to his feet, which naturally he shouldn't have done. Clenching his teeth together, he looked over at the neko.

"About bloody time!" Kai snapped and stood up, coming to an halt when he saw what Rei was carrying. "**What** is **that**?"

Re glared at him. Although the neko was a bit shorter than the demon, he was feisty and fiery all the same, though, he was also easily angered.

"**That** is Mizuhara Maxine" he growled, referring to the fainted blonde in his arms.

"Whatever!" Kai muttered and picked Takao up again. Takao didn't do any resistance, and wrapped his arms around the demon's neck.

"Takao?" Rei said warily.

"It's okay, Rei."

The neko nodded and placed himself behind the bluenette, carrying his friend tucked to his chest. Kai peeked outside and nodded to say that the coast was clear.

They moved quickly through the doomed city. Except for the screams and cries from the inhabitants, it was quiet…too quiet.

"We got to move faster!" Kai grumbled and turned to the feline. "How fast can you run?"

"A lot faster than this, and a lot faster than you" the neko smirked.

"Then I suggest you get moving. Meet us at the main entrance!" with that said, the demon rose into the sky.

From his position in Kai's arms and a good thirty meters into the air, Takao could cast a quick analyse on the damage the sanctuary had suffered. The palace was demolished to the ground and the rest of the buildings didn't look that spared either.

As quickly as they had left the ground, they landed again, outside of the walls. A few moments after they'd arrived, Rei came in sight. He really was fast, like a cheetah when he wanted.

"Where to?" the neko asked and looked at the demon.

"Follow me!" the feline did as he was told without any further questions.

"What's the hurry?" Takao rolled his eyes and yawned. "We're already outside!"

"Moron" was all he got for an answer and he glared at the crimson-eyed teen.

As they reached the forest, they dove in behind the trunks and down behind a huge rock at the same time the sound of a deafening explosion rolled around them, causing everything to dim in smoke. Takao screamed and covered his ears and Kai pressed him down against the ground, protecting him with his own body. Rei too had to cover his ears whilst he protected Maxine in the same way Takao was protected.

When everything finally settled, Takao opened his eyes and found himself underneath Kai's body, staring into his face, and he blushed badly.

"He-hey, get off me!" he murmured weakly.

Kai, however, just stood to his knees so that he straddled the half-demon's waist, and Takao went dark red. The demon smirked at the reaction, then picked the boy up again. Rei too rose to his feet, Maxine still in his arms.

"Now what?" he asked, ears pointing straight upwards.

Kai started to walk without replying, and Rei growled but followed. Takao turned his head and looked at what used to be the east sanctuary. He sighed and tucked himself closed to the demon's chest. What had been his only home for fifteen years, was now…completely gone.

Tbc


	4. Chapter 4

Well what do you know? I updated. Geez. everyone's nagging me to update the things, so I'll try to do that, and make them good despite that I'm not into beyblade anymore. But I'll do my best –nods-

disclaimer: don't own Beyblade but I own the idea of the story :)

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**chapter 4**

_On the move_

Half asleep, Takao lay by the fire, looking up at the black sky. It had been a couple of hours since he and the others had left the now ruined sanctuary behind. Maxine still hadn't woken up; seemingly being in some sort of coma which Rei had explained probably was because electrical waves had gone through his brain when the defences were broken.

Sighing, the young half-breed turned over on his side, hissing as he did so. His chest still was hurting and the deep purple colour hadn't shifted in shade if not to a darker hue.

A small rustle made him turn his gaze up; noticing that the Neko-jin was back from wherever he'd went. He was graceful to watch when he moved, features being tanned beautifully and the muscles were strong yet slim, making him extremely elegant. He also had the way of a cat, both with clawing on trees, hunting down and playing with his pray (though he'd been worse when he was younger) and even to clean himself, which was amusing to watch.

The feline now had his ears to his head again with a slight frown, tail wagging back and fourth before he sat down by the fire, turning his gaze directly at the clearly awake boy.

"You should get some sleep" he informed the younger boy.

"I know…but I can't." was the reply the neko received, making him sigh. "Have you seen Kai?"

"No, I have not…" Rei gritted his teeth slightly and Takao knew he suspected the demon to have left them there; in the middle of no where. Although the feline would be able to survive, he couldn't carry around two hurt people.

"He'll show up" Takao said hopefully, too tired to have his stubborn attitude.

The other didn't look too convinced though nodded with a small sigh.

"Go to sleep" he demanded shortly and lay down, curling up with his tail around him, right next to Maxine.

The small half demon rolled over on his stomach with a winch and looked at the grass moving in the wind. It was nice. In the city there never was any grass. Or, there was some grass but not that high.

When he was little, there had been more grassy and green areas, but that had changed with time. Nowadays, or yesterdays as it was, the concrete had spread in all sanctuaries, making them seem more like prisons than sanctuaries to the half demon.

A rustle in the leaves made him look up slightly, and to smile when he could spot the fiery bird demon land some distance away. He hadn't abandoned them, and for some reason, that made Takao happy as he lay his head down again and fell asleep shortly after.

…

The sun had just risen over the horizon, sending a shadowlike light over the woods. The birds were singing on their melodies and the water in the grass had started to dry up. It was a truly beautiful sight, but despite all of it, it went by unnoticed by the demon who currently was sitting in a tree, looking down on the others.

His eyes graced over them, measuring their character, strength and weakness. The blonde with the metal attachments which had been referred to as Misuhara Maxine was a bit thin, though looked average in strength. His intelligence must be over the ordinary though, and annoyingly enough, he probably was the happy-going type.

The neko-jin was fast and well-trained, also very fierce beneath the calm surface, and Kai had promptly made the decision to just stay out of his way. He didn't like cats, for obvious reasons, and he happened to know another who wouldn't either.

The half-breed, Kinomiya Takao was pretty fast and agile, but clumsy all the same. He was also somewhat nervous and snappy, but being a half demon that could be over seen with. In difference from most humans and most of his own kind, half-breeds didn't bother Kai, rather the opposite with them being what connected demons and humans, and hopefully would bring an end to the pointless war that had started.

He shock his head with a sigh and looked up on the sky. It was time for them to move.

He jumped down from the tree to them and stomped on the fire to put it out, the small phoenix Dranzer landing on his shoulder.

Rei pointed his ears up and opened his eyes at the rustle, only to squint them in annoyance at Kai.

"So you didn't leave us." he said, a bit dryly even for him.

"Does it look like it, kitty?" Kai replied, not caring about the irritated look caused by the nick he received. "Wake them up. We're leaving." he said and started walking.

The feline growled slightly and stretched on all four with a yawn, then wagged his tail slightly before shaking Takao a little.

"Wake up."

It had no effect on the sleeping teen who just kept sleeping, causing Rei to hiss slightly in irritation.

"Takao!"

That had no effect either.

The feline looked at him for a while before plainly biting his ear hard.

"YAOUCH!" Takao yelped out and took to his ear. "…What did you do THAT for?" he whined and rubbed his aching ear.

"We're obviously leaving." Rei replied and got up, lifting Maxine up.

"We're le… hey where is Kai?" Takao got up on his feet.

Rai pointed in the direction Kai had left and watched as Takao set off after him. He shook his head and cocked an eyebrow.

"Geez…" was the only thing he got out.

"You can say that again."

Rai halted and looked down on Maxine, who was watching him with calm, half-way tired eyes.

"…Geez." he repeated with a small smile. "Welcome back."

"Thanks." Maxine yawned and stretched when Rei put him down. "…a little question though."

"Yes?"

"…Where are we?"

…

Kai heard Takao's yelp and couldn't help but to chuckle slightly as he continued walking. So it really was THAT hard to wake the kid up.

He looked around him to try to orientate. He was quite good at finding his way, though he was not used to walking. And he had no idea why he bothered to do so now either. He could just fly away and leave them to their destiny. They were none of his business anyways and he couldn't drag a bunch of creatures around.

Okay so he knew why he couldn't leave them. He was the leader type. He had a high rank amongst demons and if a bunch of beings chosed to follow him, he couldn't help but to want to lead them right.

Sighing again he stopped to wait for them to catch up to him, though he didn't need to wait long before he heard his name being called.

"Kai! wait up!"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he mumbled to himself and rolled his eyes as Takao caught up with him.

"Where are we going?" he panted, having put his hands on his knees with a pained expression.

Oh yeah, the kid was hurt. Kai sighed and rolled his eyes again, this time at himself and turned Takao his back.

"Get up."

Takao hesitated for a while before getting up on his back, careful not to hurt his wings, though felt a bit ridiculous with piggy-backing him.

"You better not make me look stupid." the half-dragon demon snorted as Kai started walking again.

"Shut up." was the only reply he got and he sighed deeply.

"…so where ARE we going?"

"Home."

"Which is…?"

"In the centre of the Aurora Mountains."

"Aurora Mountains…" Takao widened his eyes a little. "That's like in the middle of the demons' central area…"

"Yes. what did you expect? That I'd go to another of the human settings with you guys? Get real!"

"…but…"

"Listen kid, you choose to follow me, therefore you have to settle with the place I'm going. If you don't like it you can scram." he got no response and figured that had made the point clear.

A loud sound could be heard somewhere behind them, sounding like growls and fighting. Takao clearly recognized the cat-like growls of Rei and turned his head. The other one sounded like that of a dog…somewhat.

Kai stopped promptly and turned around, dropping Takao to the ground.

The half-breed landed with a "doff" and whined slightly with a small choke. He raised his head, about to say something but could only watch as Ka took off from the ground, towards the sound.

After a while, Takao got up and started running after with a small frown in pain, hoping he would get there in time to help.

* * *

sorry, it's a short chapter. but at least it's an update –chuckles- aw well, review plz 


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